Friday, 09 March 2007

4249: Mexico Clausura weekly review

Defending champions Guadalajara secured a 2:0 victory over relegation threatened Queretaro to move top of the general league table ahead of city rivals Atlas on goals scored. A penalty from Omar Bravo and a goal from Ramon Morales sealed the win for Chivas and pushed Queretaro back to the foot of the percentage table that will decide relegation at the season’s end.

Atlas kept pace at the top courtesy of a 1:0 victory away to Veracruz, with a Reinaldo Navia penalty separating the sides. Cruz Azul are just a point adrift of the leading pair after a 1:0 victory over UAG Tecos, with a first-half goal from Israel Lopez proving to be the decider. Ironically the leading trio, Guadalajara, Atlas and Cruz Azul are all in Group 1.

UANL Tigres secured a good 3:2 win away to Jaguares Chiapas that enabled them to move to the top of Group 3. Jaguares are struggling this term, despite Argentinean striker Javier Campora’s six goals to date, including both on Saturday. Tigres winning goal came from national team striker Francisco Fonseca.

Having been on the end of a 4:1 hammering at home to Paraguay’s Libertad in midweek Copa Libertadores action, America will have been disappointed to go down 1:0 away to Pachuca on Sunday. An early goal from Juan Carlos Cacho proved to be the difference, with America defender Duilio Davino being sent off late in the game to complete their misery. Pachuca moved four points clear at the top of Group 2 as a consequence, with America sacrificing leadership of Group 3 to UANL Tigres.

Toluca, one of the strongest teams of recent times, are still seeking their first win of the campaign, with their 1:1 draw at home to San Luis being their seventh draw in eight league games this term. Toluca secured an early lead through Uruguayan striker Vicente Sanchez only for San Luis to quickly draw level through an Irenio Soares penalty. Even a late red card for San Luis defender Leonel Olmedo wasn’t enough for Toluca to claim the winning goal.

Relegation candidates Santos secured their first victory of the campaign after battling back from a goal down to beat Morelia 2:1. The victory lifted Santos above Queretaro in the percentage table, with goals in the last 20-minutes from Eliomar Marcon and Agustin Enrique Herrera cancelling out a Fernando Arce’s first-half strike (his sixth goal of the season) for Morelia.

Elsewhere Monterrey’s disappointing season continued with a 1:0 loss at home to UNAM Pumas, the visitors winning through an Israel Castro goal, despite being down to 10-men at the time following the dismissal of midfielder Jose Luis Lopez.

The one other game saw Necaxa return to their former home at the Azteca stadium for a 3:0 drubbing at the hands of Atlante, with Christian Bermudez, Gustavo Biscayzacu and Javier David Munoz scoring the goals.